Aircraft



Qct. 21, 1930. c. H. coNGDoN 1,778,782

l AIRCRAFT Filed May 17, 1928 2 sheets-sheet 1 hws/vrom CLE/w H. Co/vGoo/v ct. 2l, 1930. Q H CONGDON v 1,778,782

AIRCRAFT Filed May 17, 1928 zsheets-sheet. 2

BY K

Patented oci.l 21, 1930 l lcnnnr ajoivsnon, yor" cLnvnILAND, '011:10

y AIRCRAFT 1 Application .med May 17,1928. ser1a1v.-N.q2r7s,51o. f

l (GRANTED man THE Aer or n11/111U'Iac1`1ra, 1883, as A11/minima.f rrnrno,19538;` 37o ,0. G. 7 5?) f j i invention'relates broadly tov aircraft.,

and more .particularly to'a safety landing and' flotation'meansfor airplanes of the land t e. 5 ylr lhe principal object of my invention is to Vprovide a means for keeping a land type airplane afloat on an even keel should it become necessary to make a forced landingon water. i Another object of my invention is the pro-v vision of a means for shifting the normal center of gravity of an airplane to coincide with a line perpendicular to the water line and through the center of buoyancy ofthe plane, so that it will float on an even keel when landing on water.

XVith the above and other objects in viewy the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described.' l

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which y Figure l is a side view partly broken away of the tail portion of an airplane embodying the main features of my irfvention,

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2--2 of Figure l, l

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3 3 of Figure l,

Figure 4l is a view on a line approximatelyl at the center of buoyancy of an airplane when it is in a horizontal position, showing in traverse sectionthe forward or main flotation tanks, 7

FigureV 5 is a front view of an airplane showing embodiments of my invention,

Figures 6, 7, and 8 are side views of an airplane at various positions when making a landing on water, Y

Figure 9 is a front view of a means comprising a hydrovane or small inverted airfoil section, for submerging the tail portion of an airplane, and i i Figure l0 is a detail cross section showing a convex bottom for a tail portion of an airplane to produce a suction upon contact with water for submerging the tail portion.

In aircraft of the conventional monoplane Galong/fth'e sides of thetankat or near its upA or multiplane typeslused ,fori planes, i

'there is not sufcient available space forward of the center of gravity orvfnose portion :of

y the vfuselage that canfbe. utilized for buoyant members whetherconstructed asv tanks, fair 55 bags, kapok, elder.v pitch, buoyant `or vkpartially l buoyant wings,` or the like,unless meansgis provided, preferably within thertailportion ofthe fuselage, for. shifting the balanceof the airplane upon entering thef water whenV nov makingfa forced'landing. f v

Ihav'e provided such africains,I illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein 1 in# dicateslairtight tanks orother'buoyant means A located inlthe forwardfuselage;2near or around the center of grafvityX yof ,the airplane, as shown in side view in Figure 8 and in cross'rs'ection inlFigure. Thereis .also lan airtight flotation tank vorfbuoyant member 3 inthe Afuselage at or nearthe tail y,portion 5, a portion ofwhich'member lisusedcfor, a baljancing tank i4. The balancing tank isf to into contact withthe water, water vspills. into and fillsthe balancingtank through openings perffedge, adding additional weight to the'aft portion" 'of 'the plane, shiftingl the .center of gravity, as. will'l be "described hereinafter. Were'it notfor deflections 7 `placed at the for-,d ward end/of the openings, air wouldrush .into l v, the tank,retarding the forward speed ofthe 85v airplanewhile in normal flight. Y y,

In order. to vinsure immediate submergingVV ofthe tail portion uponcontact with 'thewater, an auxiliary.'means,'fsuch,as ahygilrovane 8', isv pllaced-belowand near the tank, as shownin thepreferred embodiment of myinvention; illustrated in Fiilgure'1. Immediately ,upon contact the hydrovane dragsk in thewater'. causingv thebalancingtank to be carried bef low thefsurfacefand be .filled with waterahus changing the trim of the airplane by weightf ing down thetail portion and causingthe nor? mal `'cen'ter'of gravity X` to 'be shifted rearwardly to Y, which point is in the centerline' t of buoyancy Z when' the plane is in thewater 8, and can float with reasonable safety until a in a normal horizontal position. The air? plane Will therefore ride in an approximately horizontal position, as illustrated in Figure rescue can be effected.V Y

Theforward portion of the fuselage'housingthe airtighttanks 1 may preferably beV made with a V-shaped bottom, see -Figure4, to ease the shock caused when landingon vva-K.;A ter, yand the tail portion" be' made flat on the underside, as shown at 5 in Figure 2, Witlrthehydrovane attached. A clear conception of` the arrangement of the hydrovane'and bottom of the fuselage may be gained by reference to Figure 9. "As a modiiie'atiomvthe after -por-Y tionA of the tailmay havel the underside of the fuselage termmate attherear in arconveX` or rounded `bottom,'as shownv at`f8a, Figure l0,

royalty thereon or therefor.

. claim as new is: Y

In an airplane, 1n comblnatlon, a'fuselage,

f purposesvvithoutthe payment ine of any i buoyant members in the forward part there- Y of, a receptaclefinthe aft part thereof and being provided with inlets along its sides for theintake offvvater When the tail portion of thefuselagerests upon Water, deflectors attached to the inlets to eliminate the entrance of air into the receptacle While the-airplane is `in flight, 'ancla buoyant receptacle superimancing tank 4l. In themodified form the use o f the hydrovanemaybe dispensed With.- Y k'Ilie' system of' flotationv described above possesses somefdegree of'lateralV stability on the Water, but possiblyan insufficient amount to maintain a normalV position underV all atmospheric or Water conditions, henceI have contemplated a vthe use' of known auxiliary moans for providing addfionallateral. Sta* i bility or .right-ingmoment, such as Wing tip floats, auxiliary floats locatedv outboard from the longitudinal centerline of the airplane vvater tight wingsfinV Whole or in parteY For i the, purpose of .illustration I have shown my y Ymn invention applied to a monoplane, and have. Y provided additionallateral stabili-ty orright-w ingV moment by "locatingy auxiliary flotation members 9 outboard from thefuselage,- plac ing them onthe/diagonlal struts :10.that constitute the wing bracingfo'r the Wings 11.

In: Figure 5 I have shovvnmore clearly the i arrangement of :thisY auxiliarystabilizing Wheels for making anormal landingupon Vland or a ships deck, but itis to beunderstoojd that Icontemplate dropping the vWheels and landing struts While in .thereair Wherritis seenV Wheels forms nopart of the present invention,

a detailed description of'tliemeans for ao- .means `Also in thisvieWI have'shovvn the i 'ofnliolshingthis.isthought110trequirod-l i It will( bo understood. ,that tho above dei.

scriptionA andv accompanying drawingscom?.

proben@ only the gnoraland preferred emr bodmollt of; my invention vand that' various minor changes in details of construction, proportonf andarrangement of .p'ar'jt's'f may be made Within the Soop ofthoapponded claims i Y arisvthout Saorfoifngany ofthe.` advantages Th, inventan boem-fiamma The. n fianufacturedandzusdA by or for the, GQVorIlr mmap-fling United Statesipr governmental; 

